Video: 'Full Throttle' – Le Mans 1973: Ferrari’s Final Hurrah Falls Short

Car #15 was entrusted to Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman, who had won the Monza and Nürburgring 1,000km that year, with #16 shared by Arturo Merzario and Carlos Pace and #17 crewed by Carlos Reutemann and Tim Schenken.

Pole went to the Merzario/Pace car, a second up on the Ickx/Redman machine. The Reutemann/Schenken car was fifth fastest, behind two of the three works Matras MS670Bs  – driven by François Cevert and Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse.

As had been the case during most of the season up to that point, an intense battle played out during the twice-round-the-clock classic. The leading 312PB of Merzario/Pace set the pace in an attempt to get the better-handling French machines to wilt, but the plan didn’t quite work.

The previous year’s winner, Henri Pescarolo, this time with fellow Frenchman Larrousse, assumed the lead as Ferrari tried various strategies. Ickx/Redman soon proved to be the fly in the French ointment but they were to suffer heartache with just over half an hour remaining. The engine in the #15 car expired and yet another Le Mans win got away from British ace Redman. It was a double blow for Ferrari as the Reutemann/Schenken car had gone out at half distance with engine failure.

The leading Matra held together to vanquish the best of the scarlet screamers, the pole car of Merzario/Pace, by six laps. The third Matra of Jean-Pierres Jabouille and Jaussaud completed the podium.

And that was that for Ferrari’s top-class Le Mans love affair.

Wouldn’t it be great to see the world’s most famous car maker return to the race to take on Audi, Porsche and Toyota in the LMP1 class and bid for a 10^th outright win in the world’s most famous race?